Automated clinical analyzers are known to improve clinical analysis by providing results more rapidly while minimizing operator or technician error. Due to increasing demands on clinical laboratories regarding assay throughput, and the efficiency of handling patient samples and reagents An important factor is displaying the status and controlling the operation of such an analyzer in a “user friendly” manner that minimizes the effort required by the operator to access pertinent data.
Automated clinical analyzers are typically controlled by software executed by a computer using software programs written in a machine language like on the Dimension® clinical chemistry analyzer sold by Dade Behring Inc, of Deerfield, Ill., and widely used by those skilled in the art of computer-based electromechanical control programming. Such a computer executes application software programs for performing assays conducted by the analyzer but it is also required to be programmed to control and track, among other items:                whether a reagent container is new and unused;        calibration and quality control procedures as needed;        an incoming and outgoing sample tube transport system;        the patient's identity, the tests to be performed, if a sample aliquot is to be retained within the analyzer;        the location of sample tubes, sample tube racks, and aliquot vessel arrays;        a sampling probe;        inventory and accessibility of sample aliquots within an environmental chamber;        an aliquot vessel array transport system;        reagent aspiration and dispense arms including liquid reagent probes;        cuvette and vessel load stations;        a wash station 67;        a container shuttle, reagent carousels, shuttles and trays;        reagent and assay chemical solution consumption along with time, and date of consumption of all reagents consumed out of each reagent container and assay chemical solutions consumed out of each vial container on a per reagent container, per calibration vial container, per Quality Control container, per assay, and per calibration basis, for specifically defined time periods; and,        scheduling at least 1000 assays per hour.        
From the above descriptions of the multiple operations conducted within a clinical analyzer, it is apparent that a complex problem to be resolved is how to display to a clinical analyzer operator or to an analyzer technician, on a user interface module, that information pertinent to a given situation, in a “user-friendly” manner.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,544,476 discloses a display screen having an area for indicating operation function selection buttons corresponding to respective groups of operation functions divided into a plurality of groups and an area for indicating an operation function screen corresponding to selected operation function selection buttons. The controller controls one of the operation function selection buttons, which corresponds to the plurality of groups allowed to access based on the level thus determined, to be accessible and also controls remaining one of the operation function selection buttons, which corresponds to remaining one of the plurality of groups having not been allowed to access, not to be accessible.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,150 discloses a user interface for a biomedical analyzer system that inputs work orders, including sample and test identifications, and transmits instructions to the instrument. The instrument performs the requested tests and sends the results to the computer, where they are stored. The test results are compared to exception review criteria to identify exception test results for operator review. Exception test results are also indicated by a graphic icon on the display of the computer. The exception test results may be compared by an operator to validation data gathered from the instrument and stored in the computer. The operator may then select a disposition for the exception test results. In another aspect of the present invention, alarm conditions are communicated by the instrument to the computer. The user interface then communicates the alarm conditions to an operator by using a graphic image of the instrument and an affected part. Additional information may then be provided to the operator by selecting the affected component.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,080,364 discloses an automatic analyzer in which a plurality of analytical units are arranged along a transfer line. This analyzer has a display request means for an inspection screen of calibration or accuracy management, a screen display for displaying an inspection screen having a plurality of classification captions installed in correspondence to classification of a plurality of states relating to calibration or accuracy management and an instruction button for instructing display of detailed information corresponding to each classification caption in association with the display request, and a controller for displaying, when an instruction is outputted by the instruction button, the analysis item name of the corresponding state and the analytical unit name for executing calibration or accuracy management of the corresponding analysis item on the inspection screen.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,885,530 discloses an automated immunoassay system which can perform testing on a broad range of analytes while selecting from among a range of different types of immunoassays using a variety of different types of reagents and immunoassay beads stored on-board the instrument. User interface is reduced as tests are performed automatically from computer input including the ability to order, perform and re-assay tests reflexively based on test results without operator intervention.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,316,726 discloses a computer controlled analyzer and display. The display provides a real-time presentation of all operations being performed within the analyzer. A large number of samples can be loaded into the analyzer, and the order of testing the samples can be rearranged according to a priority determined by the operator at any time. A variety of immunoassays can be performed on each sample and several different immunoassays can be performed on any one sample. Information related to the type of immunoassays being performed on particular samples is collected by a bar code reader and this information is conveyed to the computer for presentation on the display.
Japanese Patent Application 1-250758 proposes that an operator is allowed to use only the particular range of an analyzer's function corresponding to a pre-determined level. The operation functions of the automatic analyzer are classified into an analysis parameter, a system parameter, registration and maintenance, and the levels of the operators are set in accordance with identification codes of the respective operators in advance. When an operator inputs the identification code, only the operation function of the operation level corresponding to the inputted identification code is displayed. The levels of the operator are set as three levels of upper, middle and lower levels in a manner that the operator of the upper level is allowed to operate all the operations, the operator of the middle level is allowed to operate a part of the operations, and the operator of the lower level is allowed to operate only a part of the analysis parameter and the maintenance.